Electrical terminal and method of making same



Oct. 8, 1963 w. 1. WEISS liiiiiiiiiiili I United States Patent "iceJersey Filed Sept. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 136,277 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-220) Thisinvention relates to electrical terminals of the type used for securingelectrical components and the like to a mounting panel, and moreparticularly to a terminal of novel construction which includes integralmeans to facilitate the soldering of lead wires thereto and to a methodof making same.

In the manufacture of electronic apparatus, it is customary to secureindividual components in proper relative orientation on a panel ofinsulating material and thereafter electrically connect the componentswith wires to form an operative circuit. Alternatively, the circuitwiring can be formed on the panel by printed circuit techniques, or bysoldering the connection wires to properly-located terminals which aresecured to the panel and thereafter solder the individual components toselected such terminals.

An object of this invention is the provision of a novel electricalterminal secured to a panel, which terminal includes a plurality ofintegral means for accommodating the ends of lead wires which are to besoldered thereto.

An object of this invention is the provision of a hollow terminal forconnecting electrical components and the like to a panel, which terminalhas a shank passing through a hole in the panel, a head abutting onesurface of the panel and a plurality of integral ears formed on theother end, said ears ser ving to secure the terminal to the board andfor accommodating the ends of lead wires to facilitate soldering same tothe terminal.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It willbe understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes ofillustration and are not to be construed as defining the scope or limitsof the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to theclaim appended hereto.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts inthe several views:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the eyelet used to form the terminal;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view showing the terminal secured to a panel;

FIGURE 3 is a similar side elevational view;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IVIV of FIGURE2; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V--V of FIGURE2.

FIGURE 1 shows the eyelet having a shank terminating in a head 11. Theeyelet is made of suitable material, such as brass, and is tinned, orplated, to facili- Itate making solder connections thereto. The shanklength exceeds the thickness of the panel, to which the terminal is tobe secured, by a predetermined amount.

As shown in FIGURES 2-5, the terminal is inserted with a snug fit in ahole formed in the panel P and is staked thereto by means of a suitabletool in a press. Such tool simultaneously forms four longitudinal slitsin the protruding shank end and flares the resulting tabs arcanePatented 0on8, 1963 outwardly. In the specific embodiment shown in thedrawings, four such slits are formed degrees apart. As the toolcontinues its movement toward the panel, two diametrically-opposed tabs12, .12 are curled over forming single-convolution loops while the othertwo tabs 13, 13' each are curled under and forced against the surface ofthe panel to form loops each having more than one convolution. Themulti-turn tabs 13, 13' oifer an increased resistance to deformation andserve primari- 1y to secure the terminal securely to the panel. Althoughthe relatively-larger tabs 12, 12' also serve to prevent movement of theterminal relative to the panel, they are primarily useful for receivingwires which are to be soldered thereto.

In practice, the panel serves as a support for various electricalcomponents which include leads for connecting the particular componentinto an electrical circuit. An end of the component lead may be insertedinto the axial hole of the terminal or into one of the loops 12, 12' forsoldering purposes. In any event, three wires can be soldered to eachterminal with amaximum facility, since each lead is retained insoldering position by the loops .12, 12' or the axial hole in theterminal. One practical advantage of the terminals resides in the factthat all components and connection wires of a circuit can be properlypositioned in the loops or axial holes of a plurality of terminals,staked in predetermined positions on the panel and, thereafter, allsolder connections can be made in a continuous operation.

As shown in the drawings, the terminal serves merely as a means forsoldering components thereto. It will be apparent, however, that theterminal may also be used to mechanically secure a component, or part,to the panel. In such case, the part would be provided with a hole whichis aligned with a hole in the panel. The terminal shank is passedthrough the aligned holes in the part and the panel and thereafterstaked into position.

Although the terminals shown in the drawings have four tabs, it will beapparent that the number of tabs may be greater or less, depending uponthe size of the terminal and the specific use to be made thereof.

Having described my invention, what I desire toprotect by Letters Patentof the United States is now set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

An electrical terminal of the class comprising a metal eyelet having ahead abutting one surface of a panel and a shank protruding from a holeformed in the panel, with the protruding portion of the shank flaredoutwardly to secure the terminal to the panel, characterized in that theprotruding shank is formed into a plurality of outwardly extending tabsformed into closed loops, wherein some of the tabs are formed intosubstantially single turn loops for accommodating lead wires and theother tabs are formed into loops of more than one turn and in firmengagement with the surface of the panel for the purpose of securing theterminal to said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS920,364 Messner May 4, 1909 1,702,158 Gagnon Feb. 12, 1929 2,464,405Knauf Mar. '15, 1949 2,856,593 Gookin Oct. 14, 1958 2,913,634 ScovilleNov. 17, 1959

